The conservative Pope who ended up making a revolutionary decision

After such an overwhelming and charismatic papacy of almost 28 years as that of John Paul II, it was not easy to choose a successor. Most of the cardinals decided to avoid an abrupt change of religious line and lean towards who had been their theological mind: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Perhaps they considered that the intense pontificate of the Polish Pope needed to be established, beyond the respect and consideration that the German cardinal deserved.

Of course, Benedict XVI took office at times of serious problems for the Church: the scandal of sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy did not stop growing with the spread of new cases that had been covered up by the ecclesiastical authorities, suspicions of corruption in finances Vatican and internal disputes that came to light with the Vatileaks, the leak of classified documents stolen from the pontiff's desk.

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A pontificate that had fallen in recent years into a certain misrule as a consequence of the prolonged illness of John Paul II was left behind. This situation allowed certain cardinals of the Roman curia –some of them highly questioned due to the political and economic difficulties attributed to them- to have enormous power, which ended up harming the development of the Church and increasing future problems.

They seemed like too many pitfalls for an intellectual Pope, more inclined to study and write than to act as a storm pilot. To top it off, he had some missteps. For instance, he uttered a phrase about Muhammad in a speech at a German university that was considered a grave offense by Muslims and aroused his ire. In addition, he lifted the excommunication of a Lefebvrist bishop who was later found to be a Holocaust denier.

During his trip to Cuba in 2012, as a result of a slip in the bathtub, Benedict XVI began to be aware that his physical strength was beginning to falter. But above all, he was increasingly clear that he did not have all the mental strength to face internal challenges. A report that he had commissioned from three cardinals revealed in the numerous pages of it - which are secret until today - the depth of the problems.

In any case, Benedict XVI became the first pontiff to take important decisions to combat sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy. The crisis had erupted in 2002 with the famous investigation by the Boston Globe, the North American newspaper that revealed hundreds of abuses and the attitude of the Church to cover up these cases by transferring the abusive priests to another ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

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Benedict XVI defined criteria and norms in the fight against this scourge – which John Paul II, very ill, began timidly, and which Francis later multiplied and deepened. Rather, he confronted a sector of the Roman curia that, for example, turned a blind eye to the Mexican priest Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries, a serial abuser with great economic power and capacity for persuasion.

This is how Benedict XVI arrived on February 11, 2013 when he surprisingly announced his resignation, the first of a pontiff since 1294 when Celestine V resigned after just five months of papacy. It is that the Vatican was in the midst of serious tensions and the cardinals did not agree on the election of the Pope and they turned to him, a monk from northern Italy, who resigned due to internal quarrels.

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The resignation of Benedict XVI in step with growing internal problems led the cardinals to put all the challenges on the table in the debates prior to the election of the new Pope: transparency of Vatican finances, the fight against sexual abuse and the revitalization of religious work. And they decided to entrust that mission to Jorge Bergoglio, which implied a change of line.

There were, however, some questions about what it would be like to live together between an acting Pope and another emeritus. In other words: if the retired pontiff could condition the asset. Although there were conservative cardinals who pressured Benedict XVI to stop Francis' decisions, Joseph Ratzinger was always very respectful of his successor.

Francisco always praised the attitude of Benedict XVI and maintained that he had him as a man of consultation. Although some also believe that the German Pope set a certain limit on the decisions of the Argentine Pope when Jorge Bergoglio considered that they were not going to go down well with his predecessor. Now he will feel more liberated?

One thing I know for sure: if Benedict XVI had not resigned or even delayed his resignation, Jorge Bergoglio would not have been elected pontiff because of his advanced age. But God's designs are like this: the conservative Pope made a revolutionary decision and ushered in a new stage in a 2,000-year-old institution.

Also read: Francis' fight against corruption in the Vatican is looking more and more like a novel of intriguesThe resignation of Benedict XVI in step with growing internal problems led the cardinals to put all the challenges on the table in the debates prior to the election of the new Pope: transparency of Vatican finances, the fight against sexual abuse and the revitalization of religious work.